The Time Agent
by Veddermon
Summary: In the year 2019, a 31 year-old Matt must travel back to the year 1999 to save one of his friends from an evil digimon. Will he succeed? Also, what happened in 2018 and why does the evil digimon know more about it than Matt? I deleted the original version of this fic, so this is a revised version in which I have made significant changes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story back when the original version was up. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that my decision to take down and re-post this story deleted your reviews and changed your favorites and alert lists.

**The Time Agent**

**Chapter 1**

_Izzy's Lab: 2019_

In an old warehouse near the docks, Yamato "Matt" Ishida, who was 31, and Koushirou "Izzy" Izumi, who was 30, were having a conversation. The warehouse was Izzy's laboratory where he invented an assortment of things. One of those things was a time machine, which could also travel between the digital and human worlds, and on this particular night, it was needed desperately. The reason was that one of their friend's was in great danger and only by going back in time could they save him. Matt had volunteered to do the job immediately after Izzy told him what happened and what needed to be done to stop it. Izzy, however, had some concerns about Matt traveling back to the past.

"You know who you'll see when you get there, right" asked Izzy.

"It's a risk I'll have to take", Matt replied.

"Can't any of the others do this", asked Izzy

"I called them, but they didn't believe me when I told them", said Matt.

"How could they not believe you, I mean yeah it's crazy, but it's true. One of our friends is in danger, don't they realize that", said Izzy.

"It doesn't matter now, just turn on that machine so we can get started", said Matt.

"Alright", replied Izzy, turning on the time machine. The machine was a gray steel chair with a bunch of wires and other electronic equipment attached to it. All of the wires and other electrical things were connected to one of Izzy's many computers. On the back of the chair was a long pipe, which curved at the top and had wires running through it, which connected to the rest of the machine. The end of the pipe was pointed downwards and was a few feet above the top of the chair.

"Do you have a disguise", Izzy asked, "it is best if no one recognizes you"

"I'll go get it", Matt replied. He then picked up a brown backpack, which he had brought in earlier, and quickly pulled his disguise out of the backpack and put it on. His disguise was a long, black robe with a hood and an old hockey mask.

"They shouldn't be able to recognize you by appearance with that outfit on, but do you think they'll recognize you by your voice", Izzy asked.

"I thought about that", replied Matt, "So I attached a voice changer to the back of this mask. It's small, so no one should see it. Let me turn it on." Matt then pressed the on/off button on the voice changer.

"What do you think", asked Matt whose voice now sounded low and computerized.

"It'll do", said Izzy, "Do you have the tracker and the capture gun?"

"Yes I do, they're in the backpack", said Matt as he put his arms through the backpack's straps.

"Alright, the machine's ready", said Izzy

Matt then sat down on the chair, waiting to be sent to the past.

"I almost forgot", Izzy said, "You'll need this to get back". Izzy then produced from his pocket what looked like a watch with a bright red button on it. It wasn't a watch; however, instead it was, as Izzy called it, "a return trip apparatus". He handed the device to Matt, who put it in his backpack.

"Are you sure about this", asked Izzy

"Yes", replied Matt.

"Alright", Izzy said, "One last thing, our assassin will be in disguise too.

"I'll keep that in mind", Matt said

Izzy then pressed the enter key on his keyboard causing a ray of blue light to shoot down from the pipe and consume Matt. Within a few seconds Matt was no longer sitting in the chair. His mission had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Thanks to MitzvahRose for adding this story to her favorites!

**The Time Agent**

**Chapter 2**

_The Digital World, 1999_

A small ray of blue light appeared in a forest on the continent of server and from this light came Matt Ishida. Once the light faded, he got a chance to look at his surroundings. The forest seemed familiar, he knew that he was in the digital world, but could not think of exactly where. It had been years since he was last here, maybe that was the reason. Not wanting to waste time, Matt unzipped his backpack and pulled out the tracker that Izzy had given him. The tracker was an app on an old iPhone, whose purpose was to track lost digimon. Now, however, Matt was using it to hunt one down. He still could not believe that a digimon he knew and trusted would want to kill one of his friends, but there was no time for pondering things such as that. Matt turned on the iPhone and once it had finally booted up he pressed the tracker app. A map of his current location appeared on the screen with a keyboard to type the name or homing device code of a digimon. He typed in the name of the killer digimon, but received no results.

"Guess I'm just too far away", Matt thought

He continued walking until he a saw a purple dot appear on the screen. After, tapping the dot with his finger, an information screen appeared giving him the name of the digimon found as well as a list of nearby digimon. Judging by the names of the nearby digimon, it was the good, 1999 version of the digimon he sought, not the murderous 2019 one. Disappointed, Matt continued walking hoping to find the digimon he sought. As he continued walking, the dot moved closer. Noticing that the dot was to his right, according to the tracker, he moved in the opposite direction, hoping that no one would spot him. He knew that by meeting the other destined their memories of this time period would be altered, which was why he wanted to avoid them. There was one digidestined that, for other reasons, he did not want to run into. It was not himself, nor was it the person he was trying to save. He felt that it would be too much for him to see this specific chosen child again. Matt removed his gaze from the tracker when he heard someone's voice. Looking to his right, he saw, in the distance, Joe, Tai, and Sora walking through the woods with their respective digimon partners.

Matt hid himself behind a tree hoping not to be spotted. Unfortunately, he stepped on a twig along the way, causing it to snap and attract the group's attention.

"What was that", asked Sora.

"Maybe it's another evil digimon coming to kill us", said Joe in a panic-stricken voice.

"Let's go check it out", said Tai.

The group then left to go see what made the noise that they had heard earlier. They did not seem to find anything, until Agumon spotted Matt hiding behind the tree.

"Look everyone, over here", said Agumon pointing in Matt's direction.

"Is that a digimon", asked Tai.

"It doesn't look like any digimon I've ever seen, that's for sure", replied Agumon.

"I am not a digimon, I am a human just like yourself, Mr. Kamiya", said Matt who thought it best to say something instead of letting Tai think he was a digimon.

"You don't look human, or sound like one either and how do you know my name", said Tai noticing his outfit and voice.

"It's company policy, we all have to wear this outfit and speak through voice changers, which makes my voice sound the way it does. As for your name, let's just say that the company knows many things", Matt lied, hoping that Tai and the others would believe him.

"What company is that", asked Joe.

"The Odaiba Time Agency and I am a time agent", said Matt.

"What are you doing here", asked Sora.

"I am working on a case. Look, I don't have much time, things to do, people to save; so good-bye", said Matt who began to turn around and leave.

"Who is it, if you don't mind me asking", said Joe.

Matt thought about it and decided it was best to tell the truth; some of it, anyway.

"I guess you do have a right to know. It's you, Mr. Kido", said Matt.

"Me? Why", asked Joe

"Because someone from the future wants you dead", said Matt

Matt was just about to walk away when he heard footsteps to his left.

"Hey guys, we're back with the firewood", a voice said carrying a pile of wood in his hands

"Who are you guys talking to", asked a second voice, who was also carrying some wood.

Matt knew the two voices well, but he turned around anyway to make sure he was not hearing things. To his left, stood his younger self and next to him stood the very person he did not want to see on this mission. Izzy had warned him that this might happen, but no amount of warnings could have prepared him for this. He was so shocked by seeing this person that he fainted because it was Takeru Takaishi, his late brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's note: Thanks to MitzvahRose for favoriting this story and to FTA92 for following it. I really appreciate it. The 1999 version of Matt will be referred to in the narration as "young Matt", but will be referred to by the other 1999 digidestined as "Matt". Furthermore, the 2019 version of Matt will be referred to as either "Matt" or "the time agent" in the narration. The 1999 digidestined will refer to him as "the time agent".

**The Time Agent**

**Chapter 3**

Once he regained consciousness Matt stood up, turned around, and ran off into the forest. Once he was out of sight, he began to cry. A few minutes later, he leaned against a tree, continuing to weep. Memories of the day he discovered his brother's dead body, bombarded him as he wept. On that day, Matt had come over to TK's apartment to check up on him since he had not returned any of Matt's phone calls. When he didn't answer the door, Matt grew worried and unlocked it using his key. He then opened the door and ran inside, calling out his brother's name, but received no response. He walked forward a few paces and saw his brother lying dead on the floor next to his coffee table. By the looks of it, the cause of death was suicide since both of TK's wrists had been slashed open and the knife that had been used to do it was in his right hand. Matt performed CPR, even though he knew that his brother was gone. There was no suicide note, which frustrated Matt. Izzy had warned him before he left that he might meet his brother again in the past. At the time, however, Matt thought he was over his brother's death.

"I didn't think I would react this way", Matt thought to himself.

He continued to cry for a couple more minutes until he thought in his mind, "I have to pull myself together, I can't let Joe die too".

He then walked away from the tree and resumed his search for the evil digimon.

Meanwhile, TK and young Matt looked at Tai, Sora, and Joe with confused looks on their faces.

"Could somebody please explain what's going on here", asked young Matt.

Tai, Sora, and Joe then took turns telling young Matt and TK about their meeting with "the time agent".

"This is just weird even for us", young Matt said.

"Hey, did anyone see Izzy and Mimi? They've been gone quite a while", asked Sora who decided to change the subject.

"I think they went to go pick berries or something", said Joe.

Just then, Izzy and Mimi, along with their respective digimon partners, returned from the woods with bags full of delicious digital world berries.

"Hey guys, we're back", Mimi said cheerfully.

"You guys just missed the weirdest thing", Tai said. He then told Izzy and Mimi about the mysterious "time agent".

"Who would want to kill Joe", asked Mimi.

"I'm about as clueless as you are", said Joe.

"Same here", replied Tai

"Now what", asked Izzy

"We have to keep an eye out for this creep. I'll stay up first tonight and stand guard", said Tai.

The sun had set by the time he said this, so the digidestined decided to make camp for the night. They found it difficult to sleep, however, due to the day's events. Everybody was thinking about Joe and the unknown someone who wanted to murder him. These thoughts had even influenced their dreams. TK had just woken up from his dream when he heard a noise to his right. Standing up, he walked over to Tai and told him about the noise. Tai followed him along with Agumon and Patamon to a row of bushes that were located behind Joe's head. They tread carefully, trying to not wake up Joe or the other destined. They then heard a rustling sound coming from behind the bushes. Tai then turned his head in that direction and saw a dark figure moving towards Joe.

"Hey", Tai exclaimed.

The figure froze, and then turned towards Tai and TK, moving a little bit closer to them as it did. The light of the campfire allowed the two chosen children to get a slightly more detailed look at the figure. The figure was a digimon who was wearing what looked like a black blanket, which covered its whole body. His head was covered with a matching black hood and his face was covered with a black mask and sunglasses. He walked on all fours, with his paws covered by black gloves that had old rusty knives attached to them. Like Matt, the digimon spoke through a voice changer that was attached to his mask.

"Hello Tai", the digimon said, talking in a slightly high-pitched computerized voice.

The digimon then turned to TK and said, "It's been a while since I last saw you TK, at least a year".

"What are you doing here", Tai asked even though he had a pretty good guess what it was.

"It's none of your business", the mysterious digimon replied.

"You're here to hurt Joe, aren't you", TK asked.

"How did you know that", the digimon replied.

"We have our sources", Tai said.

"Someone from 2019, no doubt", the digimon said.

"2019", TK asked.

"That's where I'm from, and if you let me do what I came here to do, I'll tell you about another year. It's a very important year for you TK. Just keep quiet and I'll tell you all about 2018", the digimon said.

"No way", TK said.

"What about you Tai? Do you want to know your future? Just let Joe die and I'll tell you anything you want to know", the digimon said.

"No deal", said Tai, "why do you want Joe dead anyway and how do you know who we are".

"Back in 2019, Joe and I had an argument. I was very upset afterwards, but then I ate these delicious, sparkling black berries and I knew exactly what to do. I had to kill him. As for knowing who you are, let's just say that if I wasn't in disguise, you would know the answer", the digimon said.

"You must have ate the 'Crazy Berries'", Patamon said.

"What", Tai and TK asked in unison.

"If a digimon eats one of those berries, they go insane and often do horrible things they wouldn't normally do", Patamon said.

"I'm not crazy. In fact, my mind has never felt clearer", the digimon said.

The villainous digimon then began to move closer to where Joe was sleeping and said, "This is my final offer, let me go and I'll tell you anything you want to know about your futures".

"No", Tai and TK said at the same time.

"Then, I guess three humans will have to die tonight instead of just one", the digimon said preparing to attack.

Just then, Matt appeared and said, "I'm not letting you kill anyone".

"Who are you", the evil digimon asked.

Matt did not say a word. Instead, he raised his arm to reveal the capture gun. The gun was light gray in color and shaped like a tube. A clear dome sat on top of the gun and a black trigger and handle were attached at the bottom. Matt aimed the gun at the villainous creature and pulled the trigger. When he did this, a bright blue light ejected from the long, gray tube, making a whooshing sound as it did. The blue beam missed the evil digimon, who then ran off into the woods, quickly pursued by Matt. After he left, Tai and TK told the other chosen children, who were awakened by the sound of the gun, what had happened. Looks of horror appeared on their faces, with Joe looking the most scared out of all of them.

"I can't believe that he was so close to me", Joe thought to himself. He then turned towards TK and said, "Thank you for spotting whoever it was when you did".

"You're welcome", said TK.

After that the digidestined attempted to get some sleep, despite having Joe's potential killer on their minds.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's note: Thanks to those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story as well as to those who have favorited and followed me. I really appreciate it. The 1999 version of Matt will be referred to in the narration as "young Matt". The 2019 version of Matt will be referred to as "Matt" in the narration.

**The Time Agent **

**Chapter 4**

Things were not going well for Matt Ishida. For one thing, he lost track of the killer digimon. Also, the battery of the digimon tracker was dying, only 20% remained.

"Damn", Matt thought to himself. It was daylight now and he was still dwelling on the previous night's failure. He walked through the woods, thinking and paying attention to the tracker at the same time. The thoughts on his mind were of the digidestined, TK in particular. "Maybe I should talk to him one last time, but as myself, not as this time agent façade. Seeing a future version of his older brother might freak him out though, or maybe not. I mean, our experience in the digital world was pretty freaky, so maybe seeing me wouldn't be that bad. I don't know what to do", Matt thought. He then looked to his right and saw the 1999 digidestined, with their respective digimon partners, walking in the distance. "Maybe I should follow them. They might be safer that way. I'll decide later how to say 'goodbye' to TK", Matt thought to himself. He then walked towards the digidestined and was soon spotted by Tai.

"Hey", Tai said.

"Hello", Matt responded.

"Did you get him", Tai asked.

"Unfortunately, no", Matt replied.

"Any idea where he could be", asked Joe nervously.

"I'm looking on my tracker, but there's no sign of him", Matt said.

"How does that device work", Izzy asked.

"It works by scanning the area for specific digimon. When it finds one, a purple dot shows up on the screen and gives me the digimon's location, as well as the names of nearby digimon", Matt said.

"Interesting", Izzy said, "May I have a look".

"Well, uhh..." Matt started then trailed off as a purple dot appeared on the tracker's screen.

"I found him", Matt said, "He's a half a mile ahead by some lake".

"Come on, guys, let's move it. If we don't hurry up we might miss him", Tai said.

The 1999 digidestined, their digimon, and Matt all ran towards the lake. When they got there, they saw the killer digimon, catching him just as he was leaving. Matt walked in front of the others, eager to complete his mission.

"The gang's all here, plus Mystery Man", said the evil digimon, noticing their arrival.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt him", Matt said.

"Why not, Mystery Man? Who's Joe to you", the killer digimon asked.

"It's none of your concern", Matt said.

"You must care about Joe very much, Mystery Man. How about we take that mask off and find out who you really are", said the evil digimon as he prepared to strike.

Matt then began to unzip his backpack and pull out the capture gun. As he was doing this, the evil digimon lunged at him, tearing off his mask and letting it fall to the ground.

The killer digimon then looked at him and said, "You know, I thought Tai would be the one to travel back in time to save Joe. I mean after all he's the leader, he has the crest of courage, you know. You do make sense too, however. After all, you do have the crest of..." The killer digimon started to say.

"Don't say it", Matt interrupted.

"Why not", the evil digimon replied.

Matt then picked up the mask and placed it back on his face. He then said to the villainous digimon, "I don't want them to know who I am".

"That's ridiculous! It's not like their heads are going to explode if they know who you really are", the evil digimon said, "Their experiences in this time period have already been altered just by seeing us in our disguised forms. So it really doesn't matter if they find out that a future version of one of their own has come back in time to save Joe".

The evil digimon then lunged at Matt again only to be punched in the stomach. The villain fell to the ground then immediately got back up again and threw himself at him. The evil digimon attempted to slit Matt's throat, but the blonde moved his neck away from the villain's knives just in time. His robe was not so lucky.

"I nearly killed you", the evil digimon said, "do you still wish to fight me?"

"Yes", Matt said

"But you're outmatched", the vile digimon said, "You are merely a human who can't shoot a capture gun to save his friend's life. I, on the other hand, am a rookie-level digimon who could break you in half like a twig. There's really no point in you continuing. You'll just end up dead anyway. Maybe you would have a chance if you had brought your digimon partner along, but you didn't. Unless you're hiding him somewhere".

"He's not here. I didn't think to bring him. I guess I thought I could handle you on my own", Matt said.

"Are you insane? What made you think that? Come to think of it, your partner digimon is here, just in a younger form. Why don't you reveal yourself to him? I'm sure once he sees who you are he'll be happy to help you", the killer digimon said.

Matt stared at the evil digimon, not responding to his suggestion.

"Someone's stubborn. Because I kind of, sort of, but not really, feel sorry for you and because you're not the one I want dead, I'll make you a deal. You let me kill Joe and I'll tell you what I know about the events of 2018", the evil Digimon said.

"I'm not letting you kill Joe. I already know what happened in 2018, so there's nothing you can tell me that I don't already know", Matt said as images of his late brother's lifeless body flashed in his mind.

"I am well aware that you know what happened in 2018, but do you know why it happened. I do and I will gladly tell you and everyone else here if you just let me kill Joe", the villainous digimon said.

"Never", Matt said.

"Okay, then. Guess you'll have to die, Mystery Man. You and anyone else who tries to stop me and I mean anybody", the evil digimon said. He was just about to attack Matt again when Joe called out and said "Stop! I give myself up! I'm not letting anyone die for me".

"Joe don't", Matt cried out.

"That's rather brave of you to give yourself up like that, Joe", the villainous digimon said.

Joe then began to walk towards the evil digimon when Tai grabbed his right arm and said, "This is crazy, Joe! You don't have to do this".

"I have to Tai", Joe said, "I couldn't live with myself if any of you guys died trying to save me." Joe then looked at the evil digimon and asked him, "Why do you want me dead, anyway?"

"In the year 2019, your older self and I had an argument. It had to do with what I know about the events of 2018", the evil digimon said.

"2018, isn't that the year something was supposed to happen to TK", Joe asked.

"Yes it was. I guess Tai and TK told you about our conversation. Anyway, the reason I told your future self this information was because I knew you were meeting Mystery Man at a party that night. I thought that I would tell you this information and then you would pass it on to Mystery Man. I thought you would believe me, but you didn't. Instead you called me a liar and kicked me out of your apartment. I was sad and angry at the same time. I didn't know what to do, but then some ugly-looking man gave me these delicious, sparkling blackberries and it became clear to me. You had to die. It also became clear to me that it was better to go back to the past and kill you instead of the present", the evil digimon said.

The wretched digimon then began to move towards a confused Joe. Just as he was about to strike, Matt aimed the capture gun and pulled the trigger. A bright blue light ejected from the gun and consumed the villainous digimon, sucking him up as it did. The dome on top of the gun then glowed the same color as the light. Whirring and clicking sounds could be heard from the gun as the dome glowed. When the noises stopped, a black 3.5-inch floppy diskette ejected from the gun's right side. Matt pulled the floppy disk out of the gun and placed it and the gun in his backpack. Once he was finished, Matt turned around and looked at the chosen children.

"It's over", Matt said

"So what happens now", Joe asked.

"I'm going to take him back to the future with me now", Matt replied. He then pulled out the return trip apparatus from the backpack. Just as he was about to press the red button on the apparatus and return to the future, TK looked at him and asked, "What happens in 2018?"

Matt was not sure how to answer this. "I could tell the truth, but that might cause some sort of butterfly effect", Matt thought, "I have to say something to him though".

"Let's just say it wasn't a good year for you", Matt said.

"Could you be more specific", young Matt asked, "I don't want anything bad to happen to my little brother"

"Believe me, I know. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. The future might get really screwed up if I did", Matt said. He then turned towards TK and said, "Goodbye...little brother", knowing it was the last time he would see him alive again. Matt then pushed the red button on the return trip apparatus, returning him and Joe's would-be assassin to 2019.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's Note: Thanks to those who have favorited and followed me and this story, as well as to FTA92 for leaving a review. I really appreciate it. Also note that **bold** = flashbacks.

The Time Agent

Chapter 5

_Izzy's Lab, 2019_

A blue light shone down in the laboratory of Izzy Izumi, signaling the return of Joe's potential assassin and the "Time Agent". Everything in the lab was just as Matt left it, with a few exceptions. Joe was there waiting for him along with Izzy, Kari and Gatomon.

"How did you know I'd be here", asked Matt

"Izzy called me", Joe replied

"Gatomon, Kari, you knew I was coming too", Matt asked

"Joe told us", Gatomon replied

Matt then unzipped his backpack, pulled out the floppy disk and gave it to Izzy.

"What are we going to do with him", Matt asked

"I think I might be able to restore him. Get rid of the effects of the 'Crazy Berries'", Izzy said

"You can do that", Matt said

"I did some research and it is possible. The berries are viruses, so curing him would be similar to disinfecting a computer program. I just hope that I can remove this virus because if I can't…well, I think you know what happens then", Izzy said

"I guess we really altered our histories, me and Joe's would-be assassin here. I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen. If everything had gone right, the past would have been unaltered. No one was even supposed to know that the two of us were there", Matt said

"I'm still alive, so I say mission accomplished", Joe said, "Would you mind taking the mask off?"

"Alright", Matt said as he removed the mask, "Did you figure out who he was?"

"I did", Joe replied, "I figured it out after I had the argument with him".

"What did he know about TK's death", Matt asked

"It all started with me. I was at a farmer's market and saw some berries on sale. They looked delicious so I bought them. Your brother and I were going through a rough patch in our relationship, so I gave him some berries to help smooth things over", Kari said

"I asked her what she bought at the market when she returned home. When she showed the berries to me, I recognized them as the 'Crazy Berries' and told her how they worked. They take effect when a person is feeling a negative emotion, such as sadness or anger. If you're feeling sad, they make you want to kill yourself. If you're angry at someone, they make you want to kill whoever made you feel that way. After I told Kari this, we rushed over to your brother's apartment, but by the time we got there he was already dead. A bowl full of 'Crazy Berries' was on the table next to him", Gatomon said

"I saw a piece of paper next to the bowl too, so I picked it up and read it, thinking it was some sort of suicide note. It wasn't. Instead, it was a rejection letter, his third one in a row, from some publishing company. When I saw the letter, the berries, and his dead body, I freaked. I ran out of the apartment with the letter in my hand, shutting and locking the door on my way out. I had a habit of always shutting the door and locking it whenever I left his apartment, so I guess that's why I still thought to do it even though I was such a wreck. I should have called the police or you, but I didn't because I was so upset", Kari said

"Based on what you've told me thus far, my brother is dead because he read a rejection letter and ate 'Crazy Berries' around the same time? I guess that makes sense, since people often turn to food for comfort", Matt said

"I came to the same conclusion. Of course, we'll never really know without a suicide note, but it seems possible given what I know about the 'Crazy Berries' as well as the nature of the letter", Gatomon said

"I'm so sorry", Kari said

"Why didn't you tell anyone this", Matt asked

"I felt horrible for screwing up like this. I didn't want anyone to know at first, but after a while I grew tired of carrying this secret around with me. That's why I told Gomamon", Kari said

"I encouraged her to tell. I was in the digital world with her at the time. I didn't think it would backfire like this though", Gatomon said

"That's okay. And Kari, it wasn't your fault; you didn't know what they were. No hard feelings alright. Life's too short to hold grudges", Matt said

"Okay", Kari said

"I didn't believe it when I first heard Kari's secret. I got so mad at Gomamon because I thought he was making it up. It sounded so ridiculous. I found Gatomon and she confirmed the story, only Kari and her didn't get to tell Gomamon what the berries looked like or what they were called so when he told the story to me he just called them 'berries', not 'crazy berries'", Joe said

"Why didn't you get to tell him that they were the 'Crazy Berries'", Matt asked Kari and Gatomon

"I was going to say that they were called the Crazy Berries, but he ran off to go find you before I could do so", Kari said

"We tried to run after him, but lost track of him pretty quickly", Gatomon said

"He came to me because he didn't know how to get to your place from the digital world. He wanted me to tell you, but I didn't because I thought he was lying. If I had believed him, none of this would have happened", Joe said

"It's ok, Joe. No hard feelings either, alright", Matt said

Joe then turned to face Izzy and asked him, "any progress?"

"It's too early to tell. This will probably take all night", Izzy said

"I think we better leave him alone to concentrate", Matt said

"We can finish our conversation at my place, it's the least I can do. Unless you would all rather go home", Kari said

"Your place sounds good to me", Matt said

"Same here", Joe said

Matt, Joe, Kari, and Gatomon then left Izzy's Lab and took the bus to Kari's apartment.

"How was everyone after I left? I'm only just starting to remember the new version of 1999", Matt said when they arrived

"We were all pretty freaked out. TK told everyone your identity after he read the letter you gave him. We were all worried for TK too. We had no idea what would happen to him in 2018. The events of the digital world kind of took our minds off of it though. By the time we fought the Dark Masters it had completely left my mind. It only came up rarely since then", Joe said

"All that's starting to sound familiar now. Sorry I left you guys with the mystery of 2018. I was afraid that if I said what happened there would be some sort of Butterfly effect, you know. Like the whole world being destroyed by now or something", Matt said

They soon started reminiscing about the past. Memories of their fights with the numerous evil digimon of the digital world along with all of the good times they and the other chosen children and digimon shared with each other, came flooding back to them. They spent hours doing this. It was 1:00 AM when they finally decided to sleep over rather than make the trek home. They all found it hard to sleep that night since they had so much on their minds. They were all worried about what they would find out at Izzy's Lab tomorrow. Matt had an additional thought on his mind. He was thinking about 2018, specifically the slightly altered version that had come into existence thanks to his stint as the "Time Agent". Two moments in particular came to his mind.

_January 1, 2018_

There was a New Year's party at Tai's apartment. Everyone was laughing and having fun except for TK, who looked miserable. Noticing this Matt walked up to his younger brother and asked him, "What's wrong".

"It's 2018, Matt", TK said

"You hate the new year already", Matt replied

"Remember when that evil digimon travelled back from the future to kill Joe. He said something was going to happen to me in 2018", TK said

"Maybe he was making it up", Matt asked

"The 'Time Agent' knew what happened too Matt", TK said

"You know I'm there for you, right? I won't let anything bad happen to you", Matt said

"I know. I didn't think about 2018 for years, but since it's here I'm thinking about it again. I'm scared Matt. I don't know what'll happen to me", TK said

"Don't worry TK, everything will be just fine", Matt said

The two brothers embraced, and then rejoined the party.

_November 18, 2018_

Matt was making breakfast in the kitchen when he heard his phone ring. He picked it up, hearing his brother's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey", TK said

"How are you", Matt asked

"Okay", TK said glumly

"You don't seem okay, what's wrong", Matt asked

"I'm waiting for the mail to come. There's still one publishing company I haven't heard from yet. Two rejections so far, maybe the third will say 'yes', but I doubt it", TK said

"Oh come on, you're a great writer", Matt said

"You're just saying that", TK said

"No, I'm serious. The idiots who run those two publishing companies wouldn't know talent if it slapped them in the face", Matt said

"I don't know", said TK, "maybe this is the event that happens to me in 2018, my dreams of being a published author never coming true".

"Don't be so down. As I've said before don't worry about that evil digimon. How about a night on the town? Maybe that will cheer you up", said Matt

"Sounds good to me. What time", TK asked

"How about 7", Matt responded

"Ok, see you then. One more thing, Kari came over today. She brought me some berries, you can have some if you want", TK said

"Okay. See you at 7. Bye", Matt said

"Bye", TK said

Matt then hung up the phone and returned to his cooking.

"Why didn't I tell him about 2018 when I was in the past? Would it really have been a good idea though, telling an 8-year old he's going to die in 19 years. Yeah, that would've gone over well. But still…I so hoped to see him when I got back. I thought, maybe, just maybe, that my trip to the past would alter things that way. Why did he still have to die? Dammit! I should have saved him. Maybe tomorrow I'll ask Izzy if I could borrow the time machine. I could go back to that day in 2018 and stop him from eating those berries, but what if that Butterfly effect thing is real. Izzy would know maybe I should ask him, though he would probably have some other scientific reason for why going back to save my brother would be a bad thing. It would be just my luck. I miss you little bro", Matt thought

At 9 AM the next day, the group was awakened by the ringing of Matt's phone.

"Izzy's ready to tell us what happened", Matt said after getting off the phone.

Matt, Kari, Joe, and Gatomon then travelled to Izzy's lab, anxious to hear Gomamon's fate.

When they arrived, Izzy was standing by the time machine holding the Floppy disk in his hand.

"The virus is gone", Izzy said, "Now it's time to release him".

Izzy then turned on what looked like a computer projector and inserted the floppy into the external floppy drive he had connected to his laptop. He then typed in the necessary commands to release Gomamon from his Floppy prison. A green light shot out of the projector and after a few minutes he appeared, looking just as he did when Matt captured him.

"Where am I", he asked

"Izzy's Lab, 2019", Joe said

"Joe, is that you? Where are you", Gomamon said.

"Turn to the left", Joe said

Gomamon did as Joe said and when he saw him, he said to Joe, "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for the berries. Please forgive me".

"I forgive you Gomamon", Joe said, "I should have believed you when you told me about TK's death. I'm sorry".

"That's alright Joe. It does sound rather insane, when I think about it", Gomamon said.

"Agreed", Joe said

He then took off his disguise, and both he and Joe walked towards each other, embracing when they met.

"Let me make it up to you. How about we go back to my place and hang out", Joe asked Gomamon

"I'm the one who should be making it up to you Joe", replied Gomamon

"Don't sweat it, Gomamon. All is forgiven", Joe said

"Alright", Gomamon said, "your place it is then".

Joe then turned to Izzy and Matt and said, "Thanks guys".

"No problem, Joe", Matt and Izzy responded

Joe and Gomamon then exited the lab and walked towards Joe's apartment.

"What are you going to do with the time machine", Matt asked Izzy

"Dismantle it", Izzy said, "too much potential for misuse. And just in case you're wondering, going back in time to save your little brother isn't a good idea Matt. You might cause a butterfly effect, which could potentially lead to the end of the world."

"Thought as much", Matt said, "How did you know I would ask"

"It seemed logical given how close the two of you were", Izzy said

"I think I'll go home now", Kari said, "Matt, Izzy, you did a great job saving Joe and Gomamon. Thank you"

"You're welcome", Izzy and Matt replied

"Thanks Izzy", Matt said

"Thank you Izzy", Gatomon said

"It's the least I could do", Izzy said

Matt, Kari, and Gatomon then exited the lab and returned to their respective homes. After they left, Izzy began the process of taking apart the time machine. "Ah well", Izzy said, disappointed that one of his inventions caused so much trouble. He then looked over at the desk behind him where he kept the blueprints to his many inventions.

"Just have to try something else", Izzy thought to himself.

The

End


End file.
